Effectiveness of Activity Supported Earthquake Awareness Education Program in Primary School Children: "I Know What I Need to Do, I'm Not Falling Even If We Shake" Project.

Kurt, Aylin; Doruk, Emre; Atsever, Sultan; Ate, Şeyda

Objective: The objective of this study was to enhance the knowledge base of primary school children regarding earthquake preparedness through the implementation of an activity‐based earthquake awareness education program. Methods: The study was conducted as pre–posttest semi‐experimental design with one group of 333 children in a primary school between January and May 2024. A Descriptive Information Form and Earthquake Awareness Knowledge Level Form were the data collection tools. The children were provided with a 6‐week (modules) education program. Measurements were made before and after the education. Results: The mean age of the children was 7.16 ± 0.73 years (6–9), 56.8% were girls, 43.2% were boys, and 25.8% were second‐grade children. Earthquake Awareness Knowledge Level Form total score was higher after the education (18.31 ± 1.52) than before (15.51 ± 3.73) (t = −16.144, p < 0.001). The study revealed an increase in children's knowledge regarding appropriate behaviors in the context of earthquakes, encompassing actions to be taken before, during, and after such events. Conclusion: Modular education and applied activities are effective in increasing children's knowledge levels in the context of teaching a concept such as earthquake preparedness, where the acquisition of life‐based skills is of paramount importance.

TURKEY; INTELLECT; NURSES; HUMAN services programs; ELEMENTARY schools; T-test (Statistics); TASK performance; RESEARCH funding; EDUCATIONAL outcomes; QUESTIONNAIRES; CLINICAL trials; PSYCHOLOGICAL adaptation; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; CHI-squared test; EXPERIMENTAL design; CONTROL groups; PRE-tests & post-tests; TEACHERS; SCHOOL children; HEALTH behavior; SCHOOL nursing; HEALTH education; COMPARATIVE studies; DATA analysis software; CONFIDENCE intervals; HEALTH promotion; STUDENT attitudes; EMERGENCY management; NATURAL disasters; CHILD behavior; ACTIVITIES of daily living

Public Health Nursing, 2025, Vol 42, Issue 1, p374

0737-1209

Academic Journal

10.1111/phn.13462